Formed in 1997, as Never Again, Caliban signed to Lifeforce Records following the recording a two-song demo tape. The new moniker was inspired by the Shakespearean character. The band from the west of Germany released a self-titled EP in the summer of 1998. Shows with Morning Again, Earth Crisis and Cro-Mags followed and the Germans recorded a full-length album called A Small Boy And A Grey Heaven.

The year after the band and Heaven Shall Burn released a split-EP. Vent appeared in the spring of 2001 and was licenced by Imperium Records for Japan. As a result, the gang plated at the Beast-Feast 2001 in Yokohama. A tour of the USA with Bloodjinn followed. Jojo, the singer for Destiny, was drafted to help the band for several shows as Andy had to return to his day job.

In August of 2002 Caliban entered the Woodhouse studio in Germany in order to record its third record Shadow Hearts. It was released in the winter of 2003. The band began touring the USA with Remembering Never, Scarlet and Dead To Fall in the summer of 2003. Caliban entered The Room studio in Gothenburg to record its fourth album, The Opposite From Within, which was produced by In Flames' singer Anders Friden and mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap. The album was issued by Roadrunner and licensed by Abacus and Century Media. The band and Heaven Shall Burn again issued a split-CD on Lifeforce Records in mid-2005. The group toured the USA in May, 2006 in support of its new release The Undying Darkness alongside Ion Dissonance and Sworn Enemy. The Awakening was issued in the autumn of 2007. The US release was handled through Century Media. Caliban, Heaven Shall Burn and Sonic Syndicate announced a Darkness Over X-Mas Tour for Christmas of 2007.

CALIBAN - THE AWAKENING - CENTURY MEDIA  
I guess it’s sort of odd that the element that sticks out most about this German band is lead singer Andreas Dorner’s eyeliner: it’s probably the most distinctive element of Caliban, and that’s really a testament to the group’s utter mediocrity. Caliban, despite revered status in the metalcore scene and the sales to match, has always unfortunately relied on formula to make its point, and I say unfortunately because the collective, for what it’s worth, does get heavier with each release, and The Awakening is the apex (thus far) of the band’s vitriol. Last year’s The Undying Darkness was probably the most generic metalcore effort ever recorded and Caliban seems to have taken the subsequent criticism to heart: I’m assuming there’s a reason this latest record is called The Awakening. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit that there are riffs here and there on The Awakening that do actually interest, but they’re immediately followed by embarrassingly bad and clichéd clean vocals that bring Caliban back into its usual pitiful stratosphere. On a side-note, the first track’s title, “I Will Never Let You Down”, reminds me of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” and I guess that’s where Dorner must get his eyeliner tips. Not that there’s anything wrong with eyeliner. - David Perri